


The Tiny Guardian

by TheObscureFluffs (TearsAndFlowers)



Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Cute, Fluff, G/T, Giant/Tiny, M/M, Romance, Size Difference, The tiniest beefcake, Tiny/normal sized, tiny au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 13:04:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6285856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TearsAndFlowers/pseuds/TheObscureFluffs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sonic is flung onto another island during a battle with Eggman, he meets said island's unusually tiny resident. Little do either of them know, however, that this encounter will change their lives forever...</p><p>(WARNING: This story may cause diabetes.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Boom!Sonknux AU where Knuckles is really tiny. My RP buddy and I got the idea for this when we were writing the alternate ending for "The Smaller, The Cuter". Hope you enjoy!

"W-WHOA!!"

Sonic yelped as he faceplanted into the ground, groaning slightly from the impact. It wasn't the worst feeling in the world, but that didn't mean he felt good about it.

He got up, shaking the dirt off of himself, then turned to see Bygone Island in the distance. "Dang, I really got blown far..."

He thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. _I bet I could fling myself back there if I had enough space to get into a run._

He started running the other way, but suddenly felt his leg get caught on something, finding himself hanging upside-down.

 _Ugh, if this is another one of Sticks' traps..._ He paused. _But wait, this is another island, so who...?_

"Aha!" a voice said. "Thought you could just waltz right in, did you? Well think again, giant!"

_Giant...?_

Sonic looked around, trying find the source of the voice. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

"I dunno, you tell me!" the voice responded.

The speaker sounded close by, almost as if he was...below Sonic?

"Eh?" Sonic looked down - or, well, up, from his point of view - to see a small red echidna, probably no bigger than his hand, standing there.

"Ugh, look, can you just let me down?" Sonic asked. "The blood's rushing to my brain..."

"Ha, nice try!" the echidna huffed. "You can't fool me, giant; I know what you're up to! But I won't let you do anything to my island!"

"Your island?" Sonic asked. He frowned, then gave out a huff, starting to swing himself back and forth. He'd been in this trap before, so he'd mentally thank Sticks, this time.

He curled up into a spindash, snapping the rope off as he fell to the ground. He quickly snatched up the small echidna, holding him up to his face, but far enough away that he couldn't do anything.

"Look, I didn't come here to do anything. I got flung here by accident."

"Likely story!"

The echidna began to kick and punch frantically, but was only succeeding in attacking the air.

"Argh, put me down! I-I'll fight you!"

"Calm down, bud," Sonic soothed, lightly patting the echidna's head with a finger. "I just wanna get back to my place as soon as possible, honest. Besides, what would I want with an island like this?" he asked, not realizing how insensitive he sounded.

The echidna growled angrily. "I-I won't calm down! _I am an eternal flame, baby!_ "

Sonic snorted, managing a smirk. "Look, I don't want to fight, okay?" He set the echidna down to prove a point. "I'm just here because I was fighting a bad guy back home and got flung all the way out here."

The echidna panted for breath, clearly having worn himself out.

"A-and how...do...I know...you're telling...ugh..."

Sonic frowned, bending down a bit. "Hey, easy..." He picked the echidna up again, but held him in his palm rather than by his fingers. "Sit down, relax. I don't even know what this island's for." He glanced around, seeing its wilted state. "Did some people try to wreck this place or something? Is that why you're so bent up on protecting it?"

The echidna nodded, a sad look crossing his face as he averted his gaze.

"I-it's dying...a-and I'm the only one around to protect it..."

Tears started welling up in his eyes. He was embarrassed to be seen like this by the large stranger, but he suddenly found that he couldn't control his emotions. Maybe he wasn't that strong after all...

"I-it's been my home my whole life...I-I can't just let it die!"

Sonic's ears perked up in surprise, seeing the echidna in this state. He frowned, unable to help petting him slightly.

"Sorry, bud... but I think it might be too late for this place." He gestured to the trees up above them. "I've got trees back on my own island, and they're green and tough. The branch of this tree was practically breaking under my weight, and these leaves are turning brown and fragile..."

The echidna sighed heavily. "I-I know...b-but...i-it's my home..."

"M-mm, yeah, I know..." Sonic was still a little upset for being trapped, but he felt bad for the little guy. "...Hey! How about you come home with me?" he offered.

The echidna looked up in surprise. "H-huh?"

"Yeah, why not?" Sonic asked, grinning a bit more genuinely. He turned back to look around the island, his frown returning. "I mean, it doesn't look like there'd be enough food for ya here, even the way that you are." He stared back at him, his smile returning. "But there's plenty back on my island, so you could just come with me!"

The echidna thought about it. "I-I dunno..." he hesitated. "I-I mean...it sounds nice, but..." He gazed off into the distance, at the only place he'd known his entire life. "...I-I just don't know if I can say...goodbye..."

"Hmm... yeah, I guess it's hard to leave to your home..." Sonic paused, trying to think of someway to convince him, but thought of nothing. He set the echidna down and shrugged. "Ah, well... sorry I can't help ya..."

"...th-thanks, though..." The echidna managed a small, sad smile. "Y-you're the nicest giant I've ever met..."

 _There's that word again..._ Sonic thought. _Doesn't he...?_

"A-ah, anyway, mm..." He hesitated, not wanting to leave the echidna by himself. "I've gotta head back to my island now; guess the rest of the gang's already cleaned Egghead's clock." He smiled down at him. "Offer's still open if y'ever need it... erm..." He paused, realizing he never got the echidna's name.

"O-oh, yeah." The echidna cleared his throat. "My name's Nakkuru. What's yours?"

"N-Nak-ah-ru?" Sonic blushed at his inability to pronounce his name. "H-heh, mine's Sonic." He got on one knee, extending his hand down for a handshake. He paused, realizing the implausibility, then just extended his pinkie finger out for the echidna to shake.

Nakkuru shook it, smiling softly.

"Well Sonic, I hope we meet again soon!"

Sonic nodded in reply, then waved and suddenly took off in a burst of speed. He circled the island a few times, then jumped, making the long impressive leap back to the island.

Nakkuru could only stand there, jaw hanging open. He'd never seen someone run that fast before--or be able to actually jump off the island without hurting themself! He wasn't impressed--that just wasn't a strong enough word.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days had passed since then. Sonic had vaguely glossed over his visit to the island and his meeting with Nakkuru, but obviously skipped a few... details. He didn't want his friends to get too curious, after all.

"Hey, Sonic. Pass me the ball!" Tails shouted.

Sonic chuckled. "All right, heh. Lemme get it." He walked over to the volleyball lying in the sand, but he was slightly distracted; he couldn't help wondering about Nakkuru. He hoped he was all right. He felt bad for him.

\--

Nakkuru, unfortunately, wasn't doing too well. His island had one floated high in the sky, but that was a long time ago. It was sinking more and more as it died.

Over the fast few days, it had been doing so alarmingly quickly.

Nakkuru had tried to hold out for as long as possible--but now, it was too late. Not only was the island no longer floating, but it was actually submerged in the water now!

As much as Nakkuru hated to admit it, it was time to leave.

Now he was swimming for his life. He had no idea where he was going, or if he'd even make it, but he had to try.

He was starting to wish that he'd listened to Sonic...

\--

As Sonic bent down to pick up the ball, he looked out into the water, noticing the small red echidna, swimming desperately towards the shore. He bit his bottom lip, then turned back to the group.

"Ah, play without me for a sec, guys! I just remembered something!" He threw the ball over to the three, who were confused, but obliged.

Sonic went closer to the shore, kneeling down and reaching a hand out to Nakkuru. "Dummy, what are you doing, swimming all the way out here?" he asked in a hushed tone, not wanting the others to hear him.

Nakkuru grabbed his hand and climbed on, gasping for breath. He was exhausted, soaked to the bone, and shivering.

"I-island...s-sank...h-had...n-no choice..."

Sonic frowned, turning warily back to his friends, then lightly pet Nakkuru with his glove. "You're gonna get sick if y'stay wet like that. I'll take you inside." He stood up, then left for his house.

Nakkuru relaxed into Sonic's hands, grateful that the hedgehog had spotted him in time. His energy was spent, and his muscles ached; if he'd had to swim for much longer, he didn't think he would've made it.

Sonic went into his house, then sat down at his table, pulling out a paper towel. "All right, hold still," he said, slowly drying Nakkuru off.

"Th-thanks..." Nakkuru managed a small smile.

Sonic shrugged it off, not needing it. "No problem." He set Nakkuru down on the table, then crumbled the paper towel in his hand to help dry his glove off.

"So, you wanna stay with me?" he asked.

"If that's okay with you!" Nakkuru replied.

Sonic nodded, smiling softly. "Heh, sure it is! Can't just leave ya to fend for yourself on an island that you don't know. Wouldn't feel right."

"Oh thank you, thank you!"  
Nakkuru wanted to hug Sonic, but given the size difference, he settled for hugging his arm instead.

Sonic blushed at the sudden affection, lightly petting Nakkuru to make up for his inability to really hug him.

"So, ah..." He stared down at the echidna's spiked fists. "Can I just call you 'Knuckles'?" He laughed sheepishly. "Your name is a little weird for me to say!"

"'Knuckles'..." Nakkuru thought about it. "Well, my name's actually Echidnian for 'knuckle', so that's perfect!"

Sonic grinned. "Knuckles it is!" He breathed a sigh of relief, then gestured to the room around them. "Welcome to your new home then, bud!"

Knuckles smiled as he took in his surroundings. "It's nice! Different, but in a good way..."

"That's good," Sonic said. He set Knuckles down on the floor, then started gathering things up on the table. "I should probably make some stuff for you, so you can explore if ya want..."

"Okay!"

Knuckles felt a new energy inside him as he began to walk around. He was still very sad about losing his old home (and it would take him a while to fully move on from that), but also excited to explore what, to him, was a whole new world!

And to be honest, he'd been rather lonely by himself back on his island...perhaps this was for the best. Now he wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

"Hey, Knuckles!" Sonic eventually set something down on the floor; s tiny bed. "Test that out; see if ya like it."

Knuckles walked over to it curiously. He carefully climbed on, then smiled.

"It's cozy..." he mumbled.

"Good." Sonic chuckled. "Looks even comfier than my hammock, heh."

"So...what kinda things do you do around here?" Knuckles asked.

"Mmm..." Sonic frowned, thinking a bit. "Well, we usually fight Eggman, but when that's not happening, I play volleyball with my friends or relax."

He stared down at Knuckles, knowing that most activities he'd do would be lost on him.

"You keep mentioning this 'Eggman' guy," Knuckles said. "Who is he?"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Just your average bad guy." He gestured to himself. "I'm the local hero around here with the rest of my friends and we always have to stop him."

"Really?" Knuckles' eyes went wide. "That's so cool! You being the hero, I mean."

Sonic blushed, not used to compliments in general. "H-heh, y'think so?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Wish everyone else thought so."

Knuckles frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, it's nothin'." Sonic let out a grunt, leaning against the table. "Just wish I'd get a little more recognition sometimes." His face soured as a few memories came back to him.

"Aw, sorry..." Knuckles didn't like seeing Sonic sad. He wished he could do something to make his new friend feel better, but what?

"It's no big deal." Sonic shrugged it off. "It's, erm... fun, beatin' Eggman every now and then."

Knuckles nodded slowly, lost in thought for a moment. Then he jumped up off of his bed and walked over to Sonic.

Would it be weird to ask him to pick me up? he wondered nervously.

Sonic gazed down at him, noticing his unusually close proximity. "What's up?" he asked, offering his hand to him. "Don't like the floor?" He smiled cheesily.

Knuckles nodded sheepishly, climbing onto his hand. He wasn't sure why, but he liked being held by Sonic.

Not quite getting the message, Sonic set him down on the table and moved the bed there as well.

"Yeah, guess I wouldn't like sleeping so close to the floor either."

Knuckles saddened a little at being put down. He went back over to Sonic and hugged his arm, like he'd done earlier.

"Hm?" Sonic placed a hand on him to 'hug' him back. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Y-you just seemed a little sad," Knuckles replied. "I-I was hoping this would help you feel better..."

Sonic's expression softened, but he pulled away, waving a hand dismissively. "Nah, I'm used to it, don't worry."

"Ya sure?" Knuckles asked. He was a little disappointed when Sonic pulled away.

Sonic nodded, though a little unsteadily. "Yeah, I mean, I've been here for a while. It bothered me more back in the day..."

"It's just really unfair," Knuckles said. "I mean, you're always saving them and stuff; you should at least get _some_ kind of recognition for it!"

He smiled, looking away shyly. "B-but, if it helps at all...I-I'm really grateful for you saving me earlier. I don't think I could've made it on my own!"

Sonic smiled sweetly, petting Knuckles' head. "Hey, like I said, don't worry about it."

He got up from his chair, then dug into a tiny cooler sitting at the side of his room, bring back a handful of fruit. "So, are ya hungry?"

Knuckles nodded eagerly. He loved fruit!

"Take your pick then!" Sonic grabbed a small strawberry to eat himself, taking his time eating it since he it somehow fell wrong doing otherwise in front of his small guest.

Knuckles grabbed a grape and took a bite. "Mmm!"

"Like it?" Sonic asked. "Dunno if it's as good as whatever you used to have on your island, but we've got lots of good-tasting stuff here!"

"This is even better than what I had!" Knuckles replied, before taking another bite.

"Glad ya like it," Sonic said with a smile. He turned back and snagged a small bowl off his shelf, then set it in front of Knuckles and dumped the rest of the fruit that'd been on his hand inside.

"Don't suppose you had TV back on your island?" he asked, twirling a remote control on his hand.

Knuckles tilted his head. "What's 'TV'?"

Sonic flicked the TV on for emphasis. "Just a bunch of things to watch when you're bored. I guess if Eggman ever suddenly shows up and you need something to keep yourself entertained, you can just flick through the channels until you find something you like." He showed how to flip through the channels, then set the remote in front of Knuckles.

"Whoa..." Knuckles was amazed. He'd never seen anything like this before!

Sonic chuckled at his fascination with technology; his mind would be blown if he visited Tails' lab, but he didn't consider taking him there. He didn't want to reveal Knuckles _too_ soon, after all.

Knuckles soon found something he wanted to watch. He continued to munch on some fruit as he was quickly sucked into the show that was on.

"Sonic! You done?"

Sonic turned his head. "Hm? Oh, uh, yeah, I'm coming!" He got up and smiled at Knuckles. "I'll be back later, okay?"

Knuckles nodded, still engrossed in his show.

Sonic frowned, then waved and headed off.

\--

Sometime later, Knuckles' show had ended for the day. He flipped through the other channels, but nothing else was really catching his attention at the moment. He wondered what time it was.

He wasn't sure how long Sonic had been gone (he'd been too distracted by the technicolor equines on the TV), but he was already starting to miss the hedgehog's company. It was strange--he was used to being alone, but whenever Sonic wasn't there, he suddenly felt like something was...missing.

Sonic eventually returned, plopping down onto his hammock and stretching.

"Ahh..." he breathed, relaxing with a small smile on his face.

"Hi!" Knuckles greeted with a smile.

"Yo, Knux," Sonic said, waving from his spot on his hammock, eyes closed. "Have fun while I was gone?"

"Yeah," Knuckles replied. "What about you? What did you do?" he asked curiously.

"Played a bit with the gang and then we went out to Meh Burger. I was gonna ask you to come along, but there's a LOT of mobians in the village and I wasn't sure if it'd be your thing..."

"'Meh Burger'?" Knuckles wondered what that meant. "Wait...'Mobians'?"

_Is that what the giants call themselves?_ he wondered.

"Man, I've got a LOT of new words to learn..."

"Uh, it just means, like... "us?" Just any of us." Sonic struggled to explain it. "And Meh Burger is just a place that sells food for us to eat."

His ear twitched in mild annoyance, finding it more of a pain to talk to Knuckles like this. "Hey, ever been on a hammock before?"

"What's a hammock?" Knuckles asked, also answering Sonic's question.

"It's this thing." Sonic patted his hammock for emphasis. He rolled off, then picked Knuckles up and laid back down on the hammock, setting Knuckles down with him. "Give it a try."

Knuckles curled up by Sonic. "It's nice..." he said with a smile.

Sonic smiled, happy to have pleased him. "Yeah, nothin' quite beats chilling here when I need a place to relax."

As Knuckles relaxed next to Sonic, he found that the hedgehog was very warm. Actually, it was making him a little sleepy...

Sonic giggled, feeling Knuckles against him. "Tired?"

"M-mhmm..." Knuckles slowly started to doze, barely aware of the fact that he was snuggling closer to Sonic...

"H-hey," Sonic said, his voice coming out almost inaudible. He blushed, but smiled, petting Knuckles a little to help him doze off.

Knuckles smiled cutely as he drifted off to sleep, content as can be.


	3. Chapter 3

Probably having the most comfortable sleep of his life, Knuckles managed to sleep until morning.

Sonic woke up first and was tempted to move, but he didn't want to disturb his tiny guest.

Said tiny guest was currently cuddling Sonic's arm as he slept on, and he didn't seem willing to let go anytime soon.

Sonic blushed, silently hoping that Tails didn't suddenly come in; he didn't want to explain this.

Eventually, Knuckles awoke with a yawn. He realized he was holding Sonic's arm, and let go, blushing in slight embarrassment.

"H-hehe, sorry; d-didn't realize I was doing that..."

"It's okay," Sonic said. "I used to do the same thing for this little stuffed animal I had back when I was a kid, and--"

He cut himself off abruptly, realizing how embarrassing that sounded. He turned his gaze away sheepishly, hoping he didn't just ruin Knuckles' cool image of him.

"What's a stuffed animal?" Knuckles asked, confused.

"H-hehe, you still got a lot to learn, huh?" Sonic asked. "It's, um, a little fake animal that's really soft and fuzzy."

"Ohhhh." Knuckles giggled. "Soft and fuzzy, huh? I can see why someone would want to cuddle with it then."

"Y-yeah, I guess." Sonic laughed sheepishly, glad that Knuckles didn't really understand how the world worked.

Suddenly, Knuckles' stomach growled. "I-is it breakfast time yet?" he asked sheepishly.

"Bah." Sonic waved his hand dismissively. "Sonic T. Hedgehog does not do schedules."

He stood up, getting off his hammock gently so Knuckles wouldn't be thrown around. "If you're hungry, we'll eat, all right?"

"Okay!"

Knuckles peeked down cautiously, realizing that he'd probably have a hard time getting off the hammock himself.

"Hmm... now what to do..." Sonic pondered over it for a moment, then turned to Knuckles. "Want me to go pick up some breakfast to-go and bring it back here?"

"Sure!" Knuckles replied. He was eager to try more of the local food.

"Wait right here, okay?" Sonic asked. He couldn't help lightly patting the echidna on the head before running out.

Knuckles smiled, laying back down and relaxing as he waited for Sonic to return.

Later, Knuckles could hear footsteps, followed by the smell of food.

"Honey, I'm home!" Sonic jokingly called as he entered the house, chuckling to himself at his 'superior' sense of humor. He set the bag down on the table, then offered his hand to Knuckles. "C'mon, time to eat!"

Knuckles was so hypnotized by the wonderful smell of the food that he barely heard Sonic. After a moment, he shook his head to clear it, and then eagerly climbed onto Sonic's hand.

Sonic brought him to the table and set him down, then started unpacking. "Hope you don't mind getting you hands dirty. Unless I fed you, you'd have to pick up the food yourself."

"That's fine," Knuckles replied. "So what is it? What did you get?"

"Pancakes with syrup, hashbrowns, and some sausage; y'know, the general stuff." He set up plates, then starts cutting things up small for Knuckles to eat.

Knuckles dug in the first chance he got. He was immediately stunned. This food was like nothing he'd ever had before!

After a few quiet moments that, at least in his mind, probably involved a bright light and an angelic chorus, he suddenly began to demolish the food in front of him.

Sonic chuckled; he was an even faster eater than he was!

"Calm down; if you get a stomachache, I don't think we have hospitals for guys your size."

Knuckles was hardly listening; he was in heaven.

Finally, he could eat no more. He sighed, patting his stomach contentedly.

"Oh my gosh, that was amazing!"

Sonic smirked, amused as he ate too.

"That's kinda the breakfast norm here.," he said.

"Really? Wow..."

If that was the 'breakfast norm', then what's the 'not norm' like? Knuckles wondered.

"So, how are ya settling in?" Sonic asked. "You like it here?"

Knuckles nodded. "Yeah!"

He frowned. "Still miss your island?"

Knuckles looked down sadly. "Y-yeah...I-I mean, I did live there for my whole life and all..."

Sonic saddened, lightly petting his head. "Sorry that we can't do anything about that, bud."

Knuckles sighed. "W-well...at least I've got a home...I don't even want to think about what might've happened if you hadn't found me! E-even if I hadn't drowned..."

The poor echidna shivered at the thoughts going through his head.

"Y-yeah... if Eggman had found ya..." Sonic didn't want to think about the potential experiments Eggman would've done.

"I'm glad you're the one who found me," Knuckles said, smiling softly. "You're really nice!"

Sonic blushed. "H-heh, thanks, Knux." He pet his head again. "I'm glad I found you."

Knuckles blushed too. "H-hehe..."

"Hey, I know!" Sonic exclaimed. "Since you're gonna be living here, how about I give you the grand tour?"

Knuckles grinned excitedly, his eyes sparkling. It was actually kind of adorable.

"Yeah!" he answered.

Sonic smiled, then picked the echidna up. "Now... let's see..."

He looked around for a place to put Knuckles, then opted for the inside of his bandana, hoping it wouldn't be too cramped for him. "How's that?"

Knuckles poked his head out, looking up at Sonic. He gave a thumbs up.

Sonic smiled, loosening his bandana ever so slightly just to give Knuckles a bit more room, then headed outside, starting to show him the area around his house.

"Don't think we can cover the whole island today, but it's not like you'll be visiting everywhere, so we'll just go for the basics. It's a big place, after all."

"How big?" Knuckles asked curiously.

"Too big for even one of us 'giants'," Sonic replied playfully, poking Knuckles' cheek. "I'm the only one who's fast enough to zoom around her as I please."

"Wow..." Knuckles breathed.

"So, how's the view?" Sonic asked. "Not quite eye level to me, but this is about how I see things." He walked around for emphasis.

"It's amazing!" Knuckles replied.

"Guess you don't get to see like this often?" he questioned. "It's hard to imagine for me is all."

Knuckles shook his head. "You get such an awesome view all the time!"

Sonic chuckled. "I've just been, erm... 'giant' for all my life, so I guess I can't really figure how you see things."

"And I can't imagine being able to see things like you do everyday!"

"Heh, that's fair." Sonic brushed a hand through his quills. "Anyway, what makes ya tick, Knux? What do you like?" He was trying to get a gauge on where to take the echidna.

"Well..." Knuckles put a hand to his chin in thought. "Well, I love nature!"

Sonic giggled. Yeah, that narrowed down his choices so much. "Well, we've got a lot of that here, obviously, heh."

"I can't wait to see all of it!" Knuckles replied.

"All of it?" Sonic tried to imagine taking Knuckles to see everything. "Heh, that could take a while."

"Well, we should get started now then!" Knuckles' excitement was starting to make him a bit impatient.

Sonic was amused at the fact that someone was actually rushing him for once. "All right; I'm a big nature guy myself, so you picked the right tour guide."

"So where to first?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic thought for a moment, then got an idea and raced off.

He spent the rest of the day showing Knuckles around the island, occasionally stopping to pick fruits from a tree whenever they got hungry. He didn't ramble on long, as he didn't know everything about the places, but he did his best.

Knuckles was fascinated by everything he saw. He listened carefully to what Sonic said about each place. He wanted to try and remember as much of the information as he could. (And besides, he found Sonic's voice very pleasant to listen to.)

\--

It was late into the evening as the two finished up. Sonic stretched a little, then started to return home.

"Still comfy?" he asked, trying not to talk too loud in case Knuckles was overly tired; he was right in front of his mouth, after all.

"Yep," Knuckles replied, contentedly leaning back against Sonic's chest.

Sonic blushed slightly. "Tired?"

"A little," Knuckles admitted.

"We'll head back home and get you to bed then," he said, pace slowing down as he noticed his house in the distance.

Knuckles didn't respond. Partly because he was tired, but also because he knew that going to bed meant that his fun and exciting day with Sonic was coming to an end.

For someone who was used to being alone, he sure was becoming very attached to his new friend...

Sonic went inside his house, then set Knuckles down on his bed.

"Get comfy, all right?" He smirked. "I know I'm comfy, but you gotta sleep on a real bed."

"Sonic?"

Sonic's ears perked up on alert, hearing familiar footsteps approaching. He sped over to the entrance of his house, meeting up with Amy.

"H-hey, Ames, what's up?"

Knuckles laid low, careful to make sure he wasn't seen (he wasn't quite ready to meet any of the other "giants" yet). He could easily hear every word of the conversation that was taking place nearby.

_That must be one of his friends,_ the echidna realized.

"Here," the pink hedgehog held out a tiny bag for him.

"Eh?" Sonic took it.

"I made you some cookies." She leaned forward with a grin. "You better like them!"

Sonic chuckled sheepishly, unable to tell if it was a joke or not. "U-uh, thanks..."

He watched Amy walk off, then turned back to Knuckles once she was out of earshot.

"Sorry about that, bud. Didn't expect her to show up..."

"Who was that?" Knuckles asked.

"Amy, a friend of mine," Sonic explained simply.

"What's that?" Knuckles pointed at the bag Sonic was holding.

"Ah, I guess it's the cookies she made." He opened the bag up, taking one out.  
"...Heh, here." He broke a piece off and offered it to him.

Knuckles tried a bite of the cookie. "Mmmm, yummy!"

Sonic took a bite himself. "Mm, not bad!"

"All of the food here is so good!" Knuckles exclaimed. "What else have I been missing out on all these years?!"

"Mm, I guess... a lot of stuff," Sonic said with a shrug. "Since I figure you've been alone for so long..."

"Yeah..." Knuckles looked sad for a moment.

"...Hey." Sonic gave him a smile. "You're not alone now, right?"

Knuckles smiled back. "Right."

"So don't worry about it," Sonic told him, leaning close. "You just gotta make up for lost time."

Knuckles blushed lightly at having Sonic so close. "Y-yeah, you're right! Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic nodded firmly to let him that it was all right, then yawned and leaned back, "I guess I'm gonna jump into bed too." He got up, rolling back onto his hammock and relaxing.

Knuckles tried to relax. He was warm and comfy in his bed, but...somehow it just wasn't the same as last night, now that he was sleeping alone...

Heh, maybe I need one of those 'stuffed animals', Knuckles thought to himself.

"How's the bed tonight?" Sonic asked loudly. "If it doesn't work for ya, I can try to find something else tomorrow."

Knuckles was startled out of his thoughts. "O-oh, um...i-it's fine. It's really comfy."

"Mm, good..." Sonic placed his hands behind his head, closing his eyes.

Knuckles rolled over, trying to get himself to fall asleep. But no matter how hard he tried, his eyes just wouldn't close.

Sonic's ear twitched, hearing the slight tossing and turning.

"You okay over there, Knux?" he asked.

"Can't sleep," Knuckles sighed.

"Aw, yeah?" Sonic frowned. "Anything wrong?"

"I-I dunno...I-I just can't..." Knuckles grunted in frustration.

"Hmm... maybe 'cause you're still missin' your island?" Sonic suggested.

"M-maybe..."

Knuckles really wasn't sure why he felt like this, or how to even begin explaining it to Sonic.

"Mmm, you slept fine when you were next to me though..." Sonic mused.

"Y-yeah..." A blush came to Knuckles' cheeks.

"Mmm, maybe it wasn't a good idea for me to do that then..." Sonic figured. "I guess you got used to it."

"H-heh...guess so..."

_Which is kinda weird,_ he thought, _since I'm so used to being alone..._

Sonic hesitated for a moment, then sighed with a smile. "Guess it can't be helped."

He got up and went over to Knuckles, picking him up, then walked back to him hammock and laid down, allowing Knuckles to rest on his chest.

"Not too cold?" he asked.

"I'm good..." Knuckles said with a yawn.

"Mm... just in case..." Sonic placed a hand over him, letting out a yawn himself. "That should help."

Knuckles smiled, snuggling into Sonic. Now he was warm, cozy, and content.

"M-mm...goodnight..." he mumbled sleepily.

Sonic smiled softly, then relaxed. "Night..." he said, drifting off.

It wasn't even a minute later when Knuckles too was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonic was the first to wake up in the morning, slowly getting up and placing Knuckles down on the bed.

 _Hmm, I guess I can't hide him from everyone forever, but I don't wanna make him uncomfortable either,_ he thought, inwardly debating as he sat on the chair.

Sometime later, Knuckles awoke with a stretch and a yawn.

"G-good morning..."

"Hm?" He turned to him. "Oh, mornin' Knux."

"So, what are we gonna do today?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm thinkin'..." Sonic murmured. "I mean, we already explored so much of the island..."

"Yeah..."

Suddenly, Knuckles' stomach growled.

"Well, whatever we do, we should probably have breakfast first," he said with a chuckle.

"Hm..." Sonic continued to think. "I'd love to just take you to the village with me, but..."

"But what?" Knuckles asked.

"Well, I know you don't wanna be around too many mobians..." Sonic said simply.

"Oh, right..."

"I'm sure I could find some way to hide you, but... hm..." Sonic leaned back, trying to figure out a way.

"Maybe I could ride in your scarf thingy like yesterday?" Knuckles suggested. "I can hide in there if I need to."

"Ah, that could work!" Sonic exclaimed with a grin. His grin faded slightly. "H-heh, no one really pays that much attention to me anyway, so I doubt you'd be noticed."

Knuckles frowned, not liking to see Sonic sad. "Well, I'll pay attention to you."

Sonic chuckled, poking Knuckles' head. "You don't have a choice, heh."

"Well if I did, I still would."

Just then, Knuckles' stomach growled again.

"B-but, um...can we pay attention to my stomach too?" he asked, grinning sheepishly.

"Yeah, we better get going." Sonic picked Knuckles up, then slid him into his bandana. "I'll tell you when it's better to lay low, so don't worry." He started to head out.

Knuckles sat back and relaxed. As long as he was with Sonic, he felt safe.

\--

Sonic walked into town casually, looking out for his friends, who would surely notice Knuckles if they got close enough.

"Well, this is the village; probably more house than you've ever seen," he said in a hushed tone.

Knuckles was stunned. It was true, he'd never seen this many houses before, nor a lot of people.

"Not too overwhelmed?" Sonic asked, wanting to make sure.

"I-I think I'll be okay," Knuckles replied. "It's actually a lot less scary when you're here..."

"Hm? Really?" Sonic became curious. "What makes me so special?"

"Well...you're the first gi--er, 'Mobian' who's been nice to me," Knuckles answered. "And well, you did save my life..."

"Ah, I'm sure you would've managed," Sonic told him with a small smile. "You're tough."

Knuckles blushed, feeling flattered. "Y-you really think so?"

He shook his head. "Eh, but even if I had, it wouldn't be the same without you..."

Sonic shared his blush, then chuckled. "H-heh, at least take me on a first date before you go sayin' cheesy stuff like that," he joked, trying to focus on the task at hand and heading to Meh Burger.

Knuckles chuckled too. Then he paused.

"Um...what's a date?"

Sonic blinked. "Ah, that's right, you wouldn't know." He shrugged. "It's kinda like two friends hanging out, but more, erm... 'romantic', I guess. It's for couples and stuff."

Knuckles put his hands on his head. "Geez, I sure have a lot to learn..."

"Hey, you're practically in a new world," Sonic stated. "Not like you're stupid or anything."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

Knuckles paused for a moment. "...you don't think I'm stupid?"

"Huh? No, why?" he asked.

"W-well..." Knuckles saddened. "E-everyone else I've ever met thought I was..."

"Why's that?" Sonic tilted his head.

"I...I dunno..." Knuckles sighed. "I-I guess it's because I don't really know anything, a-and sometimes I have a really hard time understanding things that I guess everybody else is supposed to understand..."

"Don't listen to those guys," Sonic told him. "I don't think you're dumb at all."

Knuckles blushed again. "R-really? H-heh, thanks..."

Sonic smiled, then lightly shifted his bandana to help hide Knuckles. He went up to the Meh Burger counter, ordering a small breakfast, then went over to a table and sat down. He promptly started eating, discreetly passing Knuckles some food so he wouldn't get caught.

Knuckles, like the previous morning, was in heaven. There were so many foods here that he'd never even heard of--and they were all so different from what he was used to (in a good way, of course)!

Sonic was amused by it. "Hehe, it's so easy to make ya smile."

"It is?" Knuckles replied between bites of food.

He hadn't really noticed--but now that he thought about it, he did seem to smile a lot more ever since he met Sonic...

"Don't worry; it's nice," he said quietly. "I don't get people to smile often."

"And I don't smile very often," Knuckles admitted. "But it happens so easily around you!"

Sonic blushed; gosh, he hoped no one was watching. "H-heh, thanks." He took a bite of his food.

Knuckles continued eating as well.

\--

Pretty soon, Knuckles was full. "Ahhh, that was good..." he sighed contentedly.

Sonic finished right after him, standing back up."Wanna head home then? Or do some more explorin'?"

"Exploring!" Knuckles immediately replied.

Sonic let out a small "hm", then looked around for a place to go to. Eventually, he settled on the pet shop, walking up to it to show Knuckles the tiny animals staring up at them; well, tiny to Sonic, anyway.

"Oh my gosh, they're all so cute!" Knuckles exclaimed.

Sonic smiled, then watched as a small brown puppy started barking at him, even wagging his tail.

"Mm? Wanna meet my friend?" Sonic asked. "Would that be all right with you, Knux?"

"Sure!" Knuckles replied.

Sonic pulled Knuckles out from his bandana, then set him down in front of the little dog. It licked Knuckles immediately, arching down excitedly and wanting to be played with.

Knuckles giggled, reaching out and petting the dog's head.

"Hehe, nice to meet you too!"

"Guess it likes you," Sonic figured, watching the puppy nuzzle Knuckles happily.

Knuckles hugged the puppy, nuzzling it back. "Hehe, guess he does!"

"Are you interested in buying that one?"

Sonic jumped slightly at the sudden voice, turning around to make sure that his body shielded Knuckles from being seen.

"H-hm? Oh, nah, I'm just looking." He held his hand out behind him for Knuckles to jump onto.

Knuckles reluctantly let go of the puppy, and quickly climbed onto Sonic's hand.

"Aw, really?" the woman walked past Sonic, giving him an opportunity to hide Knuckles back in his bandana, then picked up the puppy. "That's too bad. He's such a playful little guy."

"Thanks, but I just came here for friend."

"Hm?" the woman looked up from the puppy, but Sonic had already sped off.

"Sorry about that; wish we coulda stayed longer," he said to Knuckles.

Knuckles frowned sadly. "I-it's okay..."

He wished he could've at least said goodbye.

Sonic felt a little bad, so he reached up and lightly pet Knuckles. "Hey, don't worry. I'll take you to see 'im tomorrow, okay?"

Knuckles smiled a little. "O-okay."

"So, where to next?" Sonic took a quick look around, finding a little shop. "Want me to get you something?"

"Like what?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic shrugged. "I dunno, let's see." He walked into the shop, looking at the various walls and such. "See anything you like?"

"Hmmm..."

Knuckles pointed at something. "What's that thing?"

"Mm?" Sonic glanced over at it. "A-ah... those are the 'stuffed animals' I told you about." He was slightly embarrassed about it, but walked over and held one up to Knuckles.

"Awww, it's so cute!"

Knuckles reached out and pet it. "And fuzzy!"

"You want one?" Sonic asked. "Might help ya sleep."

"Hehe, sure!" Knuckles replied.

"Pick out your favorite," Sonic told him, shifting closer to the plushes so Knuckles could see.

"Hmmm..." Knuckles put a hand to his chin.

"That one!" he said after a moment, pointing to a stuffed duckling.

Sonic bought it for him, then decided to head home.

"Ah, it's so much easier to talk back at my place," he said with a chuckle. "Don't have to worry about you bein' found out."

"Thanks, by the way," Knuckles said, smiling wide. "For the stuffed animal, I mean."

Sonic smiled, going inside his house and setting Knuckles and the stuffed animal down. "Hey, no big deal," he said with a shrug.

His ear then twitched as he heard a man's voice outside.

"Ohoho! Sonic, I've heard that you've made a new friend! I'd LOVE to meet them."

Sonic grumbled under his breath. "Eggman..."

Knuckles looked worried. "D-does...does he mean me?"

 _So much for not being found out..._ he thought.

"He must've been spying on us," Sonic said. "Look, stay here, okay?" He sped out to Eggman and gave a mocking grin.

"Yeah right, Eggface! Just 'cause you don't have any friends of your own doesn't mean you can steal mine!"

Eggman growled in annoyance. "Well, you didn't show up on time for our battle today, so I went looking for you. And I just so happened to spot you with your...little friend."

The evil doctor grinned. "So, aren't you going to introduce us, Sonic? It's only polite, after all!"

 _I'll introduce my fist to your face if you hurt Sonic,_ Knuckles thought angrily.

"His name's Knuckles. Now that y'know that, leave before I've gotta embarrass you again by spindashin' you're robots around like a pinball machine!" Sonic warned.

"Oh no, I am _not_ leaving!" Eggman replied, his grin only widening. "Not until I've destroyed you, that is!"

As he spoke, a large army of robots walked up behind him, awaiting orders.

"Attack!" Eggman commanded, pointing at Sonic.

Sonic huffed, curling into a spindash and starting to attack the robots, completely unaware of the flying robots sneaking into his house to go after Knuckles.

\--

Knuckles saw the robots come in, and he panicked. Back on his island, he'd relied on traps when dealing with intruders, since fighting them head on was difficult at his size--but here, he didn't have that advantage. And Sonic seemed busy at the moment...

Knuckles gulped nervously. He was on his own, it seemed.

He waited for the right moment, then suddenly jumped onto one of the robots, taking it by surprise as he began to attack it. The echidna may have been small, but his strong fists and spiked namesakes could still deal a considerable amount of damage.

Sonic, still not knowing of the chaos unfolding inside his house, continued fighting off Eggman's robots with little issue; he was used to it by now.

Unfortunately, despite putting up a pretty good fight, Knuckles was easily outnumbered. While he was distracted with destroying one bot, another took the opportunity to grab him in one of its claws!

"A-ah! Let me go!"

Knuckles squirmed, trying to pry the claw off of him, but it was no use.

His panic only increased as his captor began heading outside, in the direction of its master...

"Sonic! _HELP!_ "

Sonic gasped, then looked around, managing to catch sight of him.

"K-Knuckles!" He spindashed off of a robot and tried to jump, but the robot was just out of his reach. "N-ngh! Give him back, Eggman!"

Eggman laughed. "Sorry, but what can I say--I'm evil!" he said mockingly.

He turned towards Knuckles. "Ah, Nurfles was it? We meet at last!"

"L-let me go!" Knuckles yelled.

"Quiet, you!" Eggman growled. "You're coming with me!"

"Rrr..." Sonic tried to think, but had no idea how to get high enough to save Knuckles.

"D-don't worry, bud! I'll be back to rescue you!" he shouted, promptly running off to get Tails.

Eggman laughed again, while Knuckles whimpered in fear.

The doctor and his remaining robots headed back to his lair, bringing the now helpless Knuckles with them.

 _Oh Sonic, please hurry..._ the tiny echidna silently pleaded.

\--

Sonic stopped right as his got to the fox's lab, wincing a bit. He didn't want to blow Knuckles' secret, but he knew that he couldn't get too reckless if he wanted to take Knuckles out with him.

"Er... hey, Tails!" He sped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: We actually traded off the role of Eggman a couple times in this story. My RP buddy plays him for part of this chapter, and then I take over at some point. (In the next chapter though, the role is handed to my RP buddy again.)


	5. Chapter 5

Meanwhile, at Eggman's lair, Knuckles was being held hostage inside a small cage. Eggman grinned at him menacingly, quite pleased with himself.

"P-please don't hurt Sonic..." Knuckles whimpered.

Eggman smirked; not that he'd kill Sonic or anything, but this was someone who didn't know him all that well. He could use this to his advantage.

"If you're good, I might not have to." He snickered. "Just stay there like a good little rodent and we won't have a problem."

"I'm not a rodent..." Knuckles mumbled.

As for staying put, he didn't have much of a choice anyhow; it didn't look like he was going anywhere anytime soon.

"So, tell me how you got shrunk like that in the first place," Eggman said. "If I could harness that ability for my own, it could be quite useful."

"What do you mean?" Knuckles asked, confused. "I'm not shrunk!"

Eggman raised a brow. "...You're naive for a race that was commonly known for their intelligence. Then again, I thought echidnas went extinct hundreds of years ago."

Knuckles looked down sadly. "N-not exactly...a few of the clans survived, but they cut themselves off from the rest of the world. I...I don't know if the others are still out there nowadays. All I know is that, w-well...I-I'm the only one left of my tribe."

"Hm, interesting..." Eggman began to grow amused at the subject. "While I was doing my research, I heard that the echidnas ignited the wrath of their god." He turned to him, getting a closer look. "I see now that their punishment wasn't death..."

Knuckles shrunk away from Eggman's gaze. "Wh-what do you mean...?"

"You still don't get it?" Eggman gave a roll of his eyes from behind his glasses. "You're not on an island of 'giants'. Anywhere in the world matches the size of the mobians here; all except echidnas like you."

"W-what...?!" Knuckles was shocked. It couldn't be true...could it? No, Eggman had to be lying; he was a villain after all...

"You want proof?" Eggman turned to the TV, then turned it around so Knuckles could see. He then started flipping through the channels to show other islands, the mobians remaining the same height as the mobians Knuckles had seen compared to the trees.

Knuckles couldn't believe it. He could only stare, eyes wide, as the truth finally sank in.

"I-I'm...s-small...?!"

"That's right," Eggman replied simply, turning his TV back to it's original place.

Knuckles sat in silence, hugging his knees. He was already an outsider to begin with, but now he was also a _freak_?

Did Sonic know this the whole time? And if so, why hadn't he said anything?

Knuckles' whole world was quickly crashing down with this new revelation.

"Oh, don't be like that," Eggman said with a huff. "If you're worried about this affecting your chances with Sonic, I don't think they were very high in the first place."  
He wasn't going to say that he was upset by Knuckles intruding on his ship.

"Huh?" Knuckles looked up in confusion. "'My chances with him'? What do you mean by that?"

"...You really _are_ naive," Eggman commented. "I've been watching you since you got to this island; you clearly have feelings for him."

Knuckles was even more confused. "'Feelings for him'? What does that mean?"

"That you love him," Eggman said plainly, starting to tire of Knuckles' obliviousness.

Knuckles was glad he wasn't currently drinking a glass of water, because he would be comically spitting it out right about now.

"W-wh- _what?!?!_ " he exclaimed, his voice cracking like an egg.

"You heard me. Don't try to deny it," Eggman told him, slight amusement on his face.

The truth about Knuckles' size had shocked the poor echidna enough as it was, but the idea that he was in love with Sonic? He didn't know what stunned him more: the mere suggestion, or the fact that, the more he thought about it, the more he realized...it actually made sense.

_Could it really be true?_ he thought. _Am I...in love with Sonic?_

All of a sudden, Sonic burst through the door, glaring at the doctor. Tails silently followed. "All right, Egghead! Give Knuckles ba--"

"Take him." Eggman opened the cage and pulled Knuckles out, dropping him onto Sonic's hands.

"Huh?" Sonic blinked, confused.

"I've had my fun. He's of no use to me anymore."

Knuckles barely registered what was happening around him anymore. He could only lie in Sonic's hands, curled up in the fetal position and staring blankly at nothing. He felt like his brain was broken.

"Urm... okay." Sonic headed out, ignoring the, "You better pay for that door though!" that was coming from Eggman.

Tails leaned close to Knuckles, giving him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Knuckles. Sonic explained everything to me; I won't tell anyone about you until you're ready."

"Hm?" Knuckles was snapped out of his thoughts by the unfamiliar voice. "O-oh...th-thanks..."

"Sorry, Knux." Sonic lightly pet the echidna. "I thought Eggman was gonna put up a bigger fight, so I brought help."

Knuckles didn't respond at first.

"S-Sonic?" he finally said, quietly. "A-am...am I...s-small?"

He already knew the answer, but he still felt like he needed one last confirmation before he could fully believe it.

"Wha?" Sonic took a moment to realize. "Oh, did Eggman...?"

He frowned, not wanting to lie to Knuckles. "W-well... yeah. I mean, I wasn't sure if the 'giants' thing was just from your perspective or if you really thought... um..."

Knuckles sighed. "Yeah. I-I...I thought I was normal...u-until today...guess I _am_ stupid after all."

"You're not stupid," Sonic said sternly. "You were on an island alone; what else would you think?"

"I...I guess that's true..." Knuckles realized.

Sonic hopped up into the backseat of Tails' plane as the fox took off. Sonic was going to take the wing, but needed more focus to stay on; focus he'd rather give to Knuckles.

"Hey, c'mon, what's wrong?"

Knuckles didn't know how to answer. His heart longed to tell Sonic about what else was on his mind, but...he wasn't sure if he could. And besides, Eggman had said that his "chances" with Sonic weren't very high--and everything else the doctor had told him had been true...

Plus, it was completely reasonable. After all, why would anyone be interested in a freak like him? And even if they would be, they hadn't even known each other for that long...

Knuckles knew he needed to answer Sonic's question, but no words came to mind. He felt completely lost.

Sonic frowned, feeling bad for him.

"Is it about being small? I mean, sure, you're a... bit shorter than everyone else, but... there's gotta be some advantages too."

"Like what?" Knuckles replied bitterly. "Like constantly needing help just to do _anything?_ Like being completely _helpless_ all the time? L-like...like b-being _a freak of nature?_ "

Knuckles' face contorted, unable to hide the fact that he was ready to burst into tears at any moment. As if he wasn't humiliated enough already...

"K-Knux..." Sonic inwardly became very frustrated at Eggman; what the heck did he say to Knuckles to make him so sad? "So what if you need help sometimes? You should know by now that I don't mind it..."

"Y-you don't?" Knuckles looked up at Sonic. "I-I'm...n-not a burden to you?"

Sonic smiled softly, stroking Knuckles gently. "No way! It's fun havin' you around..."

Knuckles couldn't hide the blush on his face. "R-really?"

Sonic nodded happily, continuing to stroke his little friend.

Knuckles became increasingly flustered as Sonic did this. His face was flushing badly. It embarrassed him, but he also didn't want Sonic to stop. Honestly, he'd be content for Sonic to just hold him like that forever...

_Whoa there, slow down!_ he scolded himself. _He probably doesn't even like you that way! Don't start daydreaming and getting your hopes up, dude..._

"H-heh, I know this is gonna sound kinda lame, but I was actually super worried about ya," Sonic told him, smiling sheepishly.

Knuckles was startled slightly; he'd been very deep in thought.

"Y-you were?"

Sonic nodded shyly. "Y-yeah. I knew Eggman wouldn't hurt you or anything, but... still..."

"I-I was worried he'd hurt _you_ ," Knuckles admitted.

"Eh? Aww, y'shouldn't worry about me, Knux," He pet his head. "I'm a tough hedgehog; I can handle anything that Egghead dishes out!"

"I-I know, I just lo--" Knuckles caught himself just in time. His face flushed red in embarrassment. "E-erm...really really really like you, h-hehe."

Sonic blushed. _Did he almost...?_

"Heh, I really like you too."

He looked around, then grinned. "Hey, Knux, look!" He lifted the echidna up slightly. "You can see the island from here!"

"Whoa..."

Knuckles had gotten a good view of this place from his "exploring" with Sonic, but this...this was amazing!

Sonic nodded, but flinched slightly as he looked down at the ocean, pulling Knuckles against his chest. "N-nn..."

"What's wrong?" Knuckles asked.

"H-huh?" Sonic chuckled sheepishly. "O-oh, nothin'. Just... thought I saw a bird..."

Knuckles raised a brow. "A bird?" he echoed, obviously not buying it one bit.

Sonic merely averted his gaze, hoping Knuckles would drop the subject.

He didn't.

" _Soniiiiiic..._ "

Sonic hesitated, then mumbled something under his breath.

"Huh?" Knuckles tilted his head. "Sorry, couldn't hear you..."

"...I can't swim. I don't like deep water," he admitted.

"Ohhhh..."

Knuckles gave Sonic a soft smile. "Hey, don't feel embarrassed. Nobody's perfect. I-I mean, look at me..." He chuckled sheepishly.

"Hm?" Sonic looked down at Knuckles, then chuckled back. "What do ya mean?" He began to pet the echidna again. "You fit perfectly into my hand, after all."

Knuckles blushed bright pink. "A-aw, s-stop it..." he giggled.

"Hey, it's true, isn't it?" Sonic asked, almost admiring the way Knuckles seemed to fit so perfectly on his hand.

"H-hehe, yeah..."

Knuckles smiled. "T-thanks."

"No problem," Sonic assured. "I think it's cool havin' a portable friend."

Knuckles couldn't seem to stop blushing today. "H-hehe..."

"I mean it!" Sonic exclaimed. "It's really cool. How many other mobians can say that they've got an awesome friend who fits in the palm of their hand?"

Knuckles covered his flushing face with his hands, making a squeaking noise that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a giggle. Could Sonic possibly make him any more flustered?

Sonic smirked, amused, using a finger to move Knuckles' hands away. "Hey, no need to hide from me, bud."

"I-I know, h-hehe." Knuckles' face at this point was about as red as the rest of him.

Tails landed the plane near his lab, and Sonic quickly hopped out, thanking him before running back home with Knuckles.

"Glad that excitement's over. I like fightin' Eggman every now and then, but not when someone's in danger."

"Yeah, all that excitement's made me kinda tired..." Knuckles admitted. "...but also hungry. Hey, is it lunch time yet?"

"Hmm, probably," Sonic figured. "What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno..." Knuckles replied. "Can...can we have lunch here at home? I need some time to relax after everything that just happened," he added, chuckling sheepishly.

Sonic nodded. "You want me to go pick somethin' up for us, or y'wanna just have some fruit again?"

"Could you pick something up?" Knuckles asked hopefully. "I wanna try more stuff!"

"Sure!" Sonic winked. "Wait right here!" He quickly sped out, heading off to get food.

Knuckles flopped down onto his bed, sighing. He hugged his new duckling plushie and held it close, as he thought about everything Eggman had told him earlier.

In particular, what the echidna's feelings towards Sonic really were.

_What am I gonna do?_ he wondered. _I feel like I should tell him...but what if he doesn't like me that way? What if he ends up feeling weird around me after that? What if doesn't even wanna be friends anymore? What if..._

There were sudden footsteps at the entrance to Sonic's house, but it wasn't a pattern that Knuckles recognized. It was one of Sonic's friends, Sticks.

She dropped on all floors and started sniffing the ground.

Knuckles was frozen in place. He tried to breathe as quietly as he could, not wishing to be discovered by yet another person today. He hoped that the badger couldn't hear how loudly his heart was pounding.

However, her sense of smell eventually brought her to the table. She stared Knuckles down, then began to prod at his forehead. "I knew Sonic was hiding something! What are you, a hidden camera sent to spy on the world?"

Knuckles let out a startled squeak. Then he blinked.

"...what's a camera?"

Sticks moved her finger to his chest, her ear twitching. "...You're alive..."

Her gaze sharpened, and she moved her finger back to his forehead. "Is the camera in your head? Do you have sensors?"

"Uh..." Knuckles was becoming more and more confused by the second.

"Again...what's a camera? And what are sensors? And who are you anyway?"

Sticks narrowed her gaze. "Hmph, I suppose I could tell you..." She stood up and gestured a hand to herself. "I'm Sticks."

"I-I'm Knuckles," the echidna replied. "Are you one of Sonic's friends?"

"That's right," Sticks said. She leaned uncomfortably close. "Are you?"

Knuckles nodded, clutching his stuffed duckling nervously.

"Then I guess you're trustworthy enough..." She glared slightly. "But I've got my eye on yo--"

She was cut off as Sonic sped in, reaching up and pinching her ear. "Chill, Sticks."

Sticks turned to him accusingly. "I saw you hiding him! I thought for sure you were up to something!"

Sonic shook his head. "Nope, not really."

"But you never hold someone close like that!"

Sonic hesitated on that one. "...It's just the only way to get him around."

Sticks let out a few noises, then dashed out of the house.

"Sorry about her; she's always like that."

"You mean talking about 'cameras' and stuff--whatever that is?" Knuckles asked.

_And not knowing the meaning of 'personal space'..._ he added mentally.

"Yeah. She's better once she gets to know ya though."

He sat down, then pulled a large hoagie out of a bag, breaking off a bit of the end and offering it to Knuckles. "Here y'go, bud."

"Thanks!" Knuckles grabbed the food and started eating.

"Any good?" Sonic asked. "I tried for somethin' different."

Knuckles nodded, not speaking because his mouth was full. "Mmhmm!"

"You really love the food here, huh?" Sonic stated, though knowing it was obvious.

Knuckles swallowed his mouthful. "Yeah, it's really good!"

"Mhm!" Sonic said as he took a bite of his hoagie. "Hehe, bet it's probably a little funny to see the size of my food compared to yours."

Knuckles chuckled. "I'll bet my food wouldn't even be a snack for you!"

"Are you calling me a glutton?" Sonic joked, lightly poking at Knuckles' stomach. "I'll have you know that I eat a perfectly normal amount for a hedgehog of my size!"

Knuckles squeaked and blushed at the sudden physical contact, almost dropping his food.

"W-well, a 'perfectly normal amount' for you would probably last me for months at my size!" he replied with a laugh.

"See? One more advantage!" Sonic said, laughing in return. "You cost basically nothing."

Knuckles quickly finished his portion of the food, not having realized how hungry he was.

"Whew, that's much better!" he sighed, contentedly patting his stomach.

Sonic smiled, finishing off his hoagie. "Mmm, you're right."

"So...what should we do now?" Knuckles asked.

"Good question," Sonic said. "Usually, my friends are out doing their own thing, so I never really get the chance to think of stuff to do with 'em."

"Hmmm..." Knuckles put a hand to his chin. "I guess we could just kick back and watch some TV or something? That is, if that's okay with you."

"Sure," Sonic agreed. "But, hm, maybe it'd be better to find you a place to relax that's you-sized..."

"Like what?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic thought over the idea for a moment, then went over and grabbed a small container, promptly speeding over to Tails' house for a few seconds and coming back with some rope. He stuffed the container with a few tissues for comfort's sake, then tied the container to the pole that his hammock connected to.

"There!" Sonic picked Knuckles up, then set him inside. "How's that?"

Knuckles grinned. "Works for me!"

Sonic sat down on his hammock, then started flipping through the channels. "See anything y'like?"

"Hmmm..."

After a moment, one of the channels caught Knuckles' eye. "Oh oh, stop it there!"

Sonic stopped. "This one?"

"Yeah!" Knuckles grinned.

Sonic shrugged. It wasn't a show he'd be caught dead watching, but if Knuckles wanted to watch it, he'd oblige.

Still... he had to admit that it was kind of nice to have someone around who wouldn't immediately judge him for anything he did.

Knuckles sat back and relaxed, content simply to be near Sonic.

"If you need anything, let me know, got it?" Sonic told him.

Knuckles nodded. "Got it."

Sonic laid back and continued watching, though keeping an ear out in case anyone started coming by; Knuckles was in plain sight, after all.

Even though Knuckles was enjoying the show, his mind couldn't help but wander. Just being near Sonic made him feel like there were butterflies in his stomach. He knew he couldn't keep quiet about his crush forever, but he didn't know what to say--or how Sonic would react, for that matter...

Sonic seemed to notice.

"...Heh, you always this quiet when watchin' something?"

"Hm?" Knuckles was quickly jolted out of his thoughts. "O-oh, heh...guess so."

Sonic looked up at him and frowned. "You're distracted..."

"A-am I?"

_Please don't ask, please don't ask..._

He asked.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"N-no...w-why do you ask?"

Knuckles cringed at how nervous he sounded.

Sonic raised a brow, sitting up fully and facing Knuckles. "Bud, seriously, you okay?"

Knuckles sighed. There was no use lying about it. "I...I don't wanna talk about it...I-I'm just not...ready yet..."

Sonic was confused. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah...I'm sure..."

Knuckles felt bad for pushing Sonic away, but he just didn't have the guts to tell him...not yet.

Sonic frowned, then extended his hand to Knuckles. "Y'wanna be close again maybe? Is that it?"

Knuckles blushed. "I-is that okay?"

"If that's the problem, y'don't have to be shy asking," Sonic told him. "Wherever you're comfortable's fine by me."

Knuckles smiled, blushing even more as he climbed into Sonic's hand.

"H-hehe, thanks."

Sonic chuckled. "No problem, but you might get shaken around too much if I let you sit on the hammock." He placed him back inside his bandana.

Knuckles laid back comfortably, though still blushing heavily. This was definitely his favorite place to be: literally close to Sonic's heart.

"You sure y'don't feel cramped in there?" Sonic asked, tilting his head.

"Nah, I'm good," Knuckles replied. "It's comfy in here."

"Well, I take good care of my bandana," Sonic joked, lightly tugging on his bandana. "Softener and all that jazz."

Knuckles was only half listening at this point.

"Yeah...you are soft..." he mumbled dreamily.

His face turned completely red in embarrassment when he realized what he said. He hid himself in Sonic's bandana, trying to make himself even smaller.

Sonic giggled, feeling the echidna shifting in his bandana. "Hey, hey, I don't have anything hidden in there, I promise."

"S-sorry," Knuckles squeaked, still hiding. "I-I didn't mean to say that out loud..."

Sonic shrugged. "It's not like it was that weird."

Knuckles poked his head out, surprised. "I-it wasn't?"

"All you said was that I was soft." Sonic averted his gaze and smiled weakly. "I wish I'd get compliments like that all the time."

"R-really?" Knuckles crawled back out of hiding.

"Yeah." Sonic sighed. "I just kinda pretend like everyone talks about me like that."

Knuckles frowned sadly. Without warning, he hugged Sonic (to the best of his ability at least).

"Why's everybody gotta be so mean to you? I-it's not fair..."

"A-ah," Sonic let out a small noise at the awkward of the hug. "D-don't worry about it. I-it's no big deal..."

"You sure?" Knuckles looked up at him, raising a brow. "'Cause you don't really sound like you mean that."

"Whatever," Sonic said, waving a hand dismissively. "I don't need the approval of those lame-o villagers."

"Well, at least you've got my approval," Knuckles said with a wink.

Sonic blushed a bit, but nodded, "H-hehe, that's true."

Knuckles resumed leaning back against Sonic, smiling warmly up at him.

Sonic hesitated, then lightly pet Knuckles.

"Thanks."

Knuckles blushed. "H-hey, no prob'."

The two spent the rest of their day watching TV and talking.


	6. Chapter 6

As the days passed, Sonic found it easier to keep Knuckles a secret and just generally became more comfortable with the idea of having him around.

One day, he tromped into his house, looking a bit worn out, then fell onto his hammock, lightly rubbing his arm and letting out a groan.

Knuckles looked up in concern. "Hey, you okay?"

Sonic rolled over to look at him. "H-heh, yeah, I guess. Just got a little messed up, but it's nothin' I can't handle."

"What happened?" Knuckles asked, walking closer up to him.

"Ah, Eggman got me a little during our battle, that's all," he assured.

Knuckles frowned. "Anything I can do?"

"N-nah, I got it." Sonic got back up, then got some bandages and sat down on his chair, though fumbling awkwardly with them since he could only use one hand.

"You sure there's nothing I can do to help?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic kept fiddling, not wanting to bother Knuckles. "N-ngh, n-no, I've got it..."

"Here, let me help."

Knuckles walked over to Sonic and grabbed onto the roll of bandages, holding them steady for him, so that he could just concentrate on wrapping them around his injury.

Sonic blushed. "K-Knuuux, y'don't have to do that." He looked away sheepishly.

"But I want to," Knuckles replied, smiling softly.

Sonic blushed further, then lightly poked Knuckles' head. "A-ah, fine, you can help." He proceeded to bandage himself, begrudgingly accepting Knuckles' help.

Knuckles just kept smiling.

"Better?" he asked once Sonic was finished.

"Yeah," Sonic grinned and pet Knuckles slightly. "Thanks, bud."

Knuckles blushed. "Hehe, it was nothin'!"

"Nah, I mean it!" Sonic exclaimed. "You're a ton of help, and I think it's really impressive that someone your size doesn't get so down about it"

Knuckles blushed even harder. "H-hehe, you really think so?"

"'Course I think so!" Sonic grinned. "I don't think I'd be able to live like that."

"It's not really so bad," Knuckles replied. "But then again, I can't really imagine what it'd be like to be your size," he added with a chuckle.

Sonic chuckled. "Yeah, imagine if it was the other way around."

Knuckles laughed. "Yeah, imagine that!"

Sonic tried to imagine it. "Mmm, I guess it wouldn't be too bad." He smiled at Knuckles. "You'd do the same that I do for you, right?"

Knuckles blushed and smiled. "Right."

Sonic grabbed a rag, then started wiping the dirt out of his fur. "I guess I just got too reckless this time..."

"What even happened to ya anyway?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic waved a hand dismissively. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Ya sure?" Knuckles asked, wondering if there was something bothering Sonic.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Sonic rolled his eyes. "Just don't like talking about when I mess up a little."

"Alright then..." Knuckles replied reluctantly, figuring he should just drop the subject.

"Hey, nothing happened, okay?" Sonic told him, lightly scratching his head to reassure him. "I just wasn't paying attention, that's all."

Knuckles could understand that. "Ah, gotcha."

Sonic gave a small grin, amused. "You sure get worried about me easily."

Knuckles blushed. "W-well, y-you know, it's 'cause I--u-um, really care about you."

Sonic blushed in return, then chuckled sheepishly. "Hehe, I know; just not that used to it yet."

"So...what do you wanna do today?" Knuckles asked. "Do you just wanna take it easy, or...?"

Sonic shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we could--" His ears suddenly perked as he heard his wrist communicator beeping. He pressed a button on it, and Tails' voice rang back.

"Hey, Sonic?"

Sonic found it odd that the fox was calling when they'd just been in a battle together. "Yeah? What's up, bud?"

"Eggman's robots smashed up some of my machinery during our battle with him, so I'm missing a lot of important stuff for inventing. Can you go buy some replacement parts for me?"

Sonic hesitated, gazing back down at Knuckles. "Uhh..."

"You can bring your friend along too if he wants to go? I just really need those parts!"

Knuckles smiled at Sonic, nodding. (Honestly, he'd go anywhere as long as it was with Sonic.)

"You sure?" Sonic asked. "It's a big world out there."

"It's a big world here too," Knuckles joked, "for me at least!"

"Hehe, that's true," Sonic replied. "All right, we're takin' a trip then!" He glanced back down at his communicator. "Don't worry, Tails; have a list ready when I get there and we'll head out!"

"Okay, see you when you get here!" A small 'click' sound signified that the fox had hung up. Sonic smiled, then lowered his hand down to Knuckles.

Knuckles climbed on and gave a thumbs up.

"Mkay, let's see..." Sonic looked around, then went over to a large bag he had sitting nearby. "This should be big enough, and there's a pocket here that's you-sized."  
He grinned amusedly as he placed Knuckles in the pocket. "It'd be harder to be caught when you're not as close to my face, y'know?"

"Heh, true," Knuckles replied. He was a little disappointed, but at least he was still with Sonic.

"Everything okay?" Sonic asked. He found it weird that he was so perceptive of Knuckles' feelings, but he couldn't help addressing them.

"Yeah?" Knuckles replied. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I dunno, you just sounded a little bummed," Sonic replied.

"Oh." Knuckles blushed. "H-heh, I guess it's just 'cause I don't get to ride in my favorite spot this time. I-it's fine though, no worries."

"Favorite spot?" Sonic blushed, pulling his bandana. "Here?"

Knuckles nodded sheepishly. "I-it's okay though," he said again. "Wouldn't wanna get caught."

"Mmm, that's true..." Sonic paused, then smiled and took Knuckles out, placing him in his bandana. "Buuut, nothin' says you can't be here until we get to a town!"

"Yee!" Knuckles cheered, grinning wide.

Sonic giggled. _He's so cute--agh, stop it, Sonic._

He shook his head, then left his shack and went to get Tails' list.

\--

Sonic got into a running position, facing the ocean. "Ready?"

Knuckles gave him a thumbs up. "Ready!"

Sonic nodded, then took off in a powerful burst of speed, running swiftly across the water.

Knuckles would've worried about falling into the water at this speed, if he'd been in the bag (or anywhere else). But here, where he was close to Sonic's heart--he would always feel safe.

"You feel okay?" Sonic asked. "Too fast for ya?"

"I'm fine," Knuckles assured him. He had to admit though, Sonic's concern for him made him blush.

"Heh, good." Sonic smirked. "I was fallin' asleep goin' this slow!" He sped up by a substantial amount, the blue aura around him intensifying.

Knuckles let out a surprised squeak, clinging onto Sonic's bandana for dear life. Once he recovered though, he grinned excitedly. Now this was the way to travel!

Eventually, Sonic made it back to land, stopping and sighing in relief. "Feels good to have the ground beneath my feet again."

"Feels good to be able to breathe again," Knuckles joked. His heart was still beating at 100 miles an hour from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"Hey, you said you were fine," Sonic mocked playfully, pocking Knuckles' head.

Knuckles blushed and giggled. "Hehe..."

"Now, heh, let's find a town somewhere." Sonic began to walk, taking a good look around. "Y'can help too if ya want; just look for a place with mobians walkin' around."

"'Kay!"

Knuckles looked around curiously at his surroundings. It might not have been very exciting to most, but to Knuckles it was all so new and interesting!

Sonic could practically feel his excitement. "Hehe, just be careful; I know y'don't wanna be seen, after all."

"Oh, right," Knuckles replied sheepishly. He continued to gaze at his surroundings, but more cautiously now, keeping an eye out for anyone that might see him.

Eventually, the two made it to a town, and Sonic quickly stowed Knuckles away in the bag. Part of him didn't want to, particularly because everything would look even larger to Knuckles from down there, but he felt as though he had little choice.

Knuckles felt a little sad about having to move to the bag, but he knew it was for the best. Despite not having as good of a view as before, he still continued to observe what he could of his surroundings.

"Hmm, should be around here somewhere..." Sonic muttered to himself, keeping one hand on the bag to help it steady.

"What should be?" Knuckles asked, keeping his voice low so as not to risk being heard by anyone else.

"The parts shop," Sonic replied, looking down at his communicator so as to not look suspicious.

Knuckles nodded. He didn't say anything more; there were now even more mobians around and he was getting a little nervous...

Sonic occasionally waved 'hi' to any who waved at him first, then managed to find the parts shop, strolling around and picking out parts that were on Tails' list.

Knuckles watched with interest, having never really seen stuff like this before.

Eventually, Sonic had gathered all the supplies, then went up and paid for them. Thankfully, Tails didn't use complicated names that Sonic didn't understand like last time.

"Mmm, all right, so we still got a little time before we have to head back to Tails' place," Sonic mused as he left the shop, bag full of parts. "Wanna go get some ice cream here?"

"Sure!" Knuckles replied enthusiastically. "...what's ice cream?"

"...Okay, now we have to get some," Sonic replied with a bold grin.

He walked around town for a while, eventually coming to an ice cream stand. He bought a medium-sized strawberry ice cream in a cone, then went out of the town, where he couldn't be seen.

He sat down, then picked Knuckles up and held him up to the ice cream. "Here, try licking it."

Knuckles tried the ice cream. "Mmmm!"

"Like it?" Sonic asked, though the answer was obvious.

"Yeah!" Knuckles replied.

Sonic grinned, taking a lick for himself. "Mmm, not bad! Better than what we'd get back at the village."

"Why? Is the stuff there not as good?" Knuckles asked.

"It's good. Just not great."

"Ah, gotcha..."

Knuckles continued to enjoy the ice cream.

Sonic thought he looked adorable licking the perspectively-giant ice cream cone, but he kept the thought to himself.

"Hookay." He set Knuckles back in his bandana and finished off the cone, though giving Knuckles a small piece to nibble on. "Ready to go home?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Knuckles replied. "Nothin' else to do around here, right?"

"Don't think so." Sonic got up, but stopped walking rather quickly. "Oh, wait!" He quickly started running in the other direction.

"Whoa!" Knuckles exclaimed in surprise. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see!"

Sonic continued running, then made it to the end of the land, climbing up onto a tree and pointing. "Look."

The sun was just beginning to set.

"Wow..." Knuckles was an awe. He'd seen sunsets before, but never had he gotten such a perfect view of it--until now, that is.

Sonic smiled, pulling Knuckles out of his bandana and holding him against his chest.

Knuckles blushed heavily and made a small squeaking noise, but quickly relaxed to Sonic's touch. He felt like there was an army of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

"I can get this view everyday from the shack, but it's nice to see it from somewhere else every now and then."

"It's amazing!" Knuckles replied.

Sonic nodded. "Mhm..."

He paused, feeling Knuckles' heart beating loudly against his hand. "Everything all right, bud?"

"Better than alright," Knuckles replied softly, blushing yet again.

Sonic tilted his head, not quite understanding, but shrugged and continued looking out at the sunset, using his free hand to pet Knuckles.

Knuckles responded to the affection with a low rumbling sound, something akin to a purr.

Sonic giggled, finding it absolutely adorable. He slid his fingers along Knuckles' fur, roughly stroking his back.

Knuckles involuntarily closed his eyes, the "purring" growing louder as he smiled. This moment was perfect; he almost wished it would never end.

However, a while passed, and Sonic slowly slipped Knuckles back into his bandana. "Looks like the sun's all set. Let's get goin' before Tails gets too worried," he told him, hopping down from the tree.

"Awww..." Knuckles was disappointed that it had ended. Still, he treasured every second of it.

"Today was great...thanks, Sonic."

"Hey, no problem!" Sonic said with a grin. "...Mm? You seem distracted again..."

"H-huh?" Knuckles looked up. "D-do I?"

"Yeah. Somethin' on your mind?" he asked.

"O-oh, uh..." Knuckles almost wanted to confess right then and there--but sadly, his nerves got the best of him.

"J-just tired, I guess..." he mumbled. He felt bad about lying, but he didn't want to worry Sonic.

Sonic frowned, then sighed and took off across the water again.

Knuckles was prepared this time, but still instinctively clinged to Sonic's bandana for safety.

Sonic made it back to the island, then gave Tails the parts before heading back to his shack with Knuckles, where he promptly laid down on his hammock. He said nothing.

Now it was Knuckles' turn to ask the question: "You okay?"

Sonic made a face, then pulled Knuckles out and set him on his chest. "You know I meant it when I said you could stay here, right?"

"Yeah? Of course I do!" Knuckles tilted his head, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought maybe that was why you were down." Sonic stroked his head. "I meant forever... if you'd wanna stay that long, that is."

"Of course I would," Knuckles smiled softly, blushing lightly.

"Feel better then?" Sonic asked, smiling slightly.

Knuckles' smile faltered. He wanted to say "yes", but...that would've been a lie.

He sighed, looking down to avoid Sonic's gaze. "H-have...have you ever really wanted to tell someone something, but you just weren't...ready?"

He wasn't sure if he was even making sense right now.

Sonic paused for a moment to think about it. "I, urm... I guess?"

Knuckles sighed again. "N-nevermind; you probably don't understand what I mean anyway..."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sonic asked, feeling a bit insulted as he gave Knuckles a small pout.

"I-I just..." Knuckles buried his face in his hands. "Ugh, it's so hard to explain..."

"No, it's fine." Sonic averted his gaze, still a little offended. "Just... forget I asked..."

Knuckles frowned, feeling bad. "H-hey..."

He gently grabbed Sonic's arm. "P-please don't take it personally...i-it's not you, i-it's me. I...I'm the one who's too chicken to say that I..."

He gulped, shaking his head. Nope, his nerves were still getting the best of him.  
"I-I'm sorry I made you feel bad..." he sighed.

Sonic sighed. "I said forget about it, okay?" He picked Knuckles up, then returned him to his tiny bed.

Knuckles became even more sad at this, but he didn't have the energy to protest.

"I'm gonna put the TV on," Sonic said, seemingly out of nowhere. He picked up the remote, the plopped back down on his hammock and aimlessly flipped through the channels.

Knuckles felt exhausted, but he just couldn't seem to doze off. He hugged his duck plushie, burying his face in it and choking back the tears that stung his eyes.

Sonic's ear twitched. "What is it, Knuckles?" he asked, sure that he heard something from the echidna.

Knuckles didn't respond. He tried pretending to be asleep, not wanting to make Sonic feel even worse.

" _Knuuuuux,_ " Sonic said. " I know you're not sleepin'. It takes you a lot longer to fall asleep when you're not near me." He managed a smile at the fact.

Knuckles could no longer stop the tears from flowing. He desperately tried to hide it, but that was proving to be impossible.

Sonic was on alert now, getting up and going over to him. "H-hey, I'm not mad, got it?" He frowned, not feeling confident in his comforting skills. "I'm not mad at you!"

"I-I know," Knuckles managed to squeeze out between sobs. "I-I just...I-I..."

"You what?" There was clear frustration in Sonic's voice. "I can't help if you don't say anything!"

Knuckles couldn't take it anymore.

"I-I LOVE YOU!" he blurted out.

He was visibly shaking now, both from fear and the violent sobs racking his tiny body.

Sonic's ears jolted up, both from the sudden confession and Knuckles' loud voice.

"Y-you..." He slowly pieced the puzzle together, Knuckles' nervousness and need to stay close to him began making sense. "...oh."

Knuckles couldn't even speak anymore; he could barely catch his breath as he bawled uncontrollably. There was no way Sonic would even let him stay now, he figured.

He never thought he'd wish he could shrink any smaller. Or just completely disappear. Yeah, that'd be nice...

Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but struggled finding something to say. The confession came too fast, even for him. Still, he wasn't going to say nothing at all; Knuckles would never get sleep that way.

He went over to the table and sat down, offering a hand to Knuckles. "Here, climb on, bud."

"H-huh?" Knuckles looked up in surprise, wiping a tear from his now very red and puffy eyes.

"O-okay..."

He slowly went over to Sonic's hand and started climbing up, which was a bit of a struggle since he was still shaking.

Sonic hesitated, but brought Knuckles a bit closer.

Then, suddenly, the echidna was braced against Sonic's chest, the hedgehog's hand firmly over him. Sonic averted his gaze, blushing lightly.

"L-look, don't get all down, okay? I dunno what you expected me to do, but whatever it is, I'm not gonna do it."

Knuckles blushed heavily; his sobs finally started to quiet down.

"Y-you're not...?"

"No!" Sonic replied, appalled at the idea. He didn't know exactly what Knuckles was thinking, but if it caused him to cry so much, he knew it must've been bad. "You're still my little bud Knuckles, okay?"

"O-okay..."

_And I guess that's all I'll ever be..._

Sonic paused, sensing Knuckles' disappointment, then went over to his hammock and lied down. "You can sleep on me again, all right?"

"R-really?" Knuckles was taken by surprise once again.

Sonic nodded. "Mhm." He wouldn't say it outloud, but the truth was that he didn't want Knuckles to leave his side, especially when he was upset like that.

"T-thanks..." Knuckles actually managed a small smile.

Sonic smiled back, then relaxed, attempting to fall asleep. His heart was beating faster than usual, but he ignored it.

Feeling the warmth of Sonic's body next to his finally helped Knuckles to calm down. The sound of the hedgehog's heartbeat comforted him; he was so familiar with it that he had it memorized.

So he was pretty quick to notice that it was beating faster than normal.

"U-uh...y-you okay?" he asked quietly, feeling a little concerned.

"H-huh?" Sonic blushed, then lightly pet Knuckles. "Y-yeah, just thinkin' about stuff is all. I feel fine, don't worry."

Knuckles didn't really believe him, but he suddenly found that his eyelids were beginning to droop.

"O-okay, if you say so..." he yawned, as he began to drift off.

Sonic chuckled, slowly drifting off too.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning was relatively uneventful. After the adventure from yesterday, Sonic chose to take it easy, though he made no mention of the conversation from yesterday.

Hours later however, well into the afternoon, Amy came into the shack. Luckily, Sonic had already placed Knuckles into his bandana for the day, so he wasn't easily discovered.

"Oh! Hey, Ames," he greeted casually, waving.

"Yeah, hi," she greeted back. She seemed a little sly-er than usual, making Sonic feel suspicious. "Hey, I was wondering if maybe wanted to go out with me today?"

"Hm? For what?" Sonic asked.

She was hesitant, but then gave a grin. "For a date!"

Sonic's eyes widened slightly, having not expected her to say that; he hadn't wanted Knuckles to hear such a thing either.

"Uh..." _What should I say?_

Knuckles hid even further into Sonic's bandana; he felt that feeling of wanting to disappear again.

Part of him was silently begging Sonic to say "no", but the other part was scolding himself for being selfish. It was Sonic's decision, he told himself, and he would support his friend no matter what.

Even if that meant possibly having his heart broken...

"What's wrong?" Amy asked. "We've been on a few dates before."

Sonic frowned. "Well, not date-dates. We're not dating for real or anything." Regardless, he gave in. "But all right, fine."

Amy smiled, and Sonic followed her out, though keeping his distance. He reached inside his bandana, petting Knuckles. "Sorry; I'll buy you a grape tart on our way home, okay?"

Knuckles said nothing. He felt so numb inside, that he couldn't even feel his heart breaking.

Sonic sighed sadly, sensing that Knuckles wasn't happy. _Try to put up with it as best as y'can, pal..._

\--

The two (well, three) made it to Meh Burger, and Amy took a polite seat next to Sonic at one of the tables after they got their food. Amy rambled on a little, but Sonic could only pay so much attention to it. He tore off a piece of his burger, offering it to Knuckles while Amy was off in her own little world.

Despite his emotional state, Knuckles couldn't deny that he was famished. He quietly nibbled on the burger, wondering how long he'd have to put up with this...

The minutes felt like hours to Knuckles, and Sonic knew it, but he wasn't sure what else to do. While he had considered leaving him at home, he wanted Knuckles to be with him...

"Sonic, are you listening?" Amy asked.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, I am."

She frowned, then sighed. "You're acting so differently lately."

The blue hedgehog raised a brow. "That bad?"

"No, but... what's wrong?" She pouted and leaned closer to him. "Don't you like me anymore?"

"Wha--no, that's not it," Sonic assured. "I've just been... busy."

Amy seemed unhappy with that answer, and he felt Amy's hand on his leg as she leaned closer. "Come on. You told me you wanted someone, didn't you?"

Sonic blushed; he'd forgotten about that. "W-well, yeah, but I wasn't... I mean... I was tired and sick, so..."

"You haven't visited for the past few days either. Have you been shy?" She continued questioning him, but Sonic didn't have a proper answer.

"Amy, y'don't get it! I mean, I really like you--"

"Then we should date! It'll get you out of this fog for good, promise!"

She grinned, and Sonic stiffened as she came closer for a kiss. "Just say 'yes'..."

Knuckles breathed as quietly as he could, knowing that one sound or movement might not go unnoticed by the uncomfortably close Amy. He wondered if she or Sonic could hear how loudly his heart was pounding.

As guilty as he felt for it, he still couldn't help chanting in his mind, _Please say no...please say no..._

A few moments passed, but the kiss never came. Sonic had brought his hand up, placing it firmly against Amy's.

He smiled sadly. "Sorry, I can't."

"Why not?" Amy asked as she pulled away.

Sonic took a long moment to respond, as if he didn't know the answer himself.

"I...I like someone else."

Knuckles' heart nearly stopped beating. Did he...? No, it couldn't be him; that was probably the reason Sonic had turned him down too...

"Wha?" Amy's face turned to one of curiosity and frustration; how had she not seen that he liked someone else? "Who?"

Sonic took a breath, then smiled, bringing a hand to his chest. "Someone who I've been keepin' close to my heart for a while now," his hand was drawn upwards to his bandana, Knuckles being slowly pressed up against him, "but didn't say anything to when I should've."

Knuckles blushed intensely. No...he couldn't possibly mean...could he...?

"Huh? What does that mean?" Amy asked, completely lost.

Sonic placed some coins on the table as an apology. "Sorry. I shouldn't've accepted in the first place. I gotta go."

He quickly rushed off, though stopping somewhere to pick up a small grape tart like he'd promised Knuckles. Once he had that, he started heading home.

"...I'm sorry I made y'feel like I was rejecting you," Sonic told him, now that he was far away enough from the village. "I'm just not good with this stuff; didn't know how to react, y'know?" He laughed. "That probably sounds really dumb comin' from the fastest thing alive!"

Knuckles still hadn't quite registered what had just taken place.

"W-wait...s-so you were talking about...?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Sonic asked with a grin. He reached into his bandana, then set Knuckles down. He crouched, promptly starting to write in the sand. He finished up, then moved aside so Knuckles could see, though repeated the written words verbally since he knew that the echidna couldn't read.

"I feel the same way."

Knuckles' face flushed for what must've been the hundredth time since he met Sonic.

"Y-you do??"

Knuckles almost mentally slapped himself; of course the answer was "yes".

There was a few moments of silence...and then suddenly, the echidna flung himself at Sonic's arm in his version of a hug, wearing a huge grin on his face.

Sonic smiled, brushing away his words in the sand, then lightly pet Knuckles. "Hey, c'mon now, don't get all mushy on me."

Despite saying that, he picked him up and gave him the best hug he could given the size difference.

Knuckles nuzzled Sonic affectionately; he was happy beyond words. What seemed like it would be the worst day ever was now, undoubtedly, the best day ever.

Sonic chuckled, seeing the childlike joy in Knuckles' expression. "Heh, anything y'wanna do now, Knux?"

"I...I dunno!" Knuckles replied, though still cheerful as can be.

"How about we just go home and..." He paused, searching his mind for things that couples did. "...I-I dunno, kiss?" He shrugged sheepishly. "Guess it's still possible even with you bein' so much smaller than me."

Knuckles blushed. "H-hehe, I-I'd like that..."

Sonic blushed too at his quick acceptance, then took him back to his shack.

"Okay, h-hmm... how would we..."

"I-I have no idea," Knuckles smiled sheepishly.

Sonic thought over it, then sat Knuckles down on the table. "Lay down?" he told him, both of his hands placed on each side of Knuckles.

"O-okay...?"

Knuckles laid down on his back. "Like this?"

Sonic nodded, hovering over the echidna slightly. He smiled sheepishly, then bent down, his lips making contact with Knuckles'.

Knuckles made an adorable squeaking noise. The butterflies in his stomach were back. He kissed back best he could, having never done it before.

He was happy that he got to share his very first kiss with Sonic. 

Sonic giggled happily, trying not to put too much force on Knuckles; still, he clearly enjoyed it, pulling away after a good chunk of time had passed.

"How was that? Am I the best kisser alive too?" he asked with a grin.

Knuckles needed a moment to catch his breath.

"W-wow..." was all the stunned echidna could say.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Sonic stated, puffing his chest out proudly, though admittedly looking a lot less cool with his muzzle completely red.

Knuckles just couldn't stop smiling. His muzzle too now matched his fur color, but he was too giddy to care.

Sonic smirked, also taking pride in Knuckles' flustered state. "C'mere, you!"  
He picked up Knuckles in both hands and chuckled.

Knuckles nuzzled up to Sonic's chest. He chuckled at how fast the hedgehog's heart was beating. His own heart was still pounding as well.

Sonic was sheepish. "Now you know why it was pounding so fast last night..."

Knuckles giggled softly. "Hehe, yep."

Sonic laid back down on his hammock, lightly scratching at Knuckles' fur. "Still feel small?"

"Yeah..." Knuckles admitted. "But...maybe it's not so bad after all."

Sonic smiled. "Don't think I'm gonna get tired of ya just because you're little," he told him.

"I'm not little, I'm 'fun size'!" Knuckles joked.

"Mhm," Sonic chimed, entertaining that idea."Either way, it doesn't matter to me."

"And that's one of the things about you that I love," Knuckles said softly, blushing. "You don't care if I'm different from everybody else."

"'Course I don't!" Sonic exclaimed. "You still got the biggest heart out of everyone even if your size doesn't match it."

Knuckles' blush darkened. "I-I do?"

"Yup." Sonic brought him closer. "You sure you're only a few inches tall? Pretty sure your heart alone's bigger than that." He smirked, kissing the echidna's chest.

Knuckles squeaked, making an odd noise that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a giggle.

Sonic was extremely amused by it. "Hehe, it's so easy to make you flustered!"  
He pet the echidna. "Not that it's a big deal."

"Hehe..." Knuckles nuzzled the hand that was petting him. "I-I love you..."

Sonic blushed at the suddenness of it, then made a fake glare at him. "H-hey, I didn't say you could do it to me too!" He couldn't stop smiling.

"But you're smiling," Knuckles pointed out with a smirk.

Sonic pouted, then poked the echidna's stomach so he'd fall over. "Y-yeah yeah, hush up."

"Oof!" Knuckles fell over, but thankfully didn't fall off Sonic's hand.

Sonic smirked. "Now you're gonna get it..."

"G-get what?" Knuckles asked, suddenly a little nervous.

Sonic giggled, then held Knuckles with both hands and suddenly started kissing all over the echidna's body.

Knuckles squirmed, giggling uncontrollably as his face turned red once again.

"S-stop, that tickles!"

"Give up?" Sonic asked, pulling away for only a moment to give Knuckles a chance to respond.

"O-okay okay, I-I surrender!" Knuckles giggled, still catching his breath.

Sonic grinned, going back to laying down. "Victory is sweet!" he said, deciding to lightly pet him instead.

Knuckles snuggled into him, making his "purring" sound, as he became thoughtful.

It was amazing how much had changed--it seemed like only yesterday, the echidna was living all alone, forced to fend for himself as he struggled to protect a dying island. But now, he shared a home with his very first friend (and now boyfriend), where he would always be safe and happy--and loved. So very loved...

While he was still a little sad about the loss of his old home, things had definitely worked out better in the long run. He hadn't smiled much before, but now it seemed he could never stop smiling--and he had Sonic to thank for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end :3


End file.
